Van Nuland finished second in the 3000 meter steeplechase in a time of 9:28.97, over 12 seconds faster than the old school record set almost eight years ago. Meanwhile, in the men's 10,000 meter run, Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) established a personal best, finishing 13th with a time of 31:31.47, over 27 seconds faster than the mark he posted at this event last year.
In the top section of the men's 1500 meter run, Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) finished in seventh place in 3:58.34, while Chris Auld (Eugene, Ore.) was only 6/100ths of a second off his personal best, finishing 11th with a time of 4:00.31. In earlier sections of the men's 1500 meter run, Ryan Dennison (Pacifica, Calif.) finished in 4:06.96, Dan Auld (Eugene, Ore.) posted a personal best with a time of 4:07.00, as did Peter VanNuland (Newcastle, Wash.) with a time of 4:08.40, and Graham Miller (Spokane, Wash.) posted a time of 4:26.32.
In the men's 5000 meter run, Adam Kollgaard (Kent, Wash.) finished 21st in the top section with a time of 15:20.28, while Graham Kinzel-Grubbs (Portland, Ore.) notched a personal best in an earlier section with a time of 15:39.09. Also in earlier sections of the men's 5000 meter run, Kevin Kopetz (Derry, N.H.) crossed the finish line with a time of 16:10.40, and Jeff Baklund (Auburn, Wash.) finished the race in 16:22.40.
Cara Talty (Raritan, N.J.) competed in the women's 5000 meter run for the first time at the collegiate level, finishing 16th in the top section in 18:16.01. In the top section of the women's 1500 meter run, Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) finished 12th with a time of 4:44.83, and Jennifer Stolle (Seattle, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 15th place in 4:54.55. Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.) competed in an earlier section of the women's 1500 meter run, posting a time of 5:08.11.
"It was a great day of racing for the team overall," head coach Trisha Steidl said. "The weather held up and, while it was a bit windy at times, the rain held off completely and the temperatures were perfect. There were a lot of personal records and a lot of strong performances out there today. It is great to see everyone's hard work coming to fruition. The best part is we still have a lot of time and have just begun our speedwork."
In field events, Ariel Johnson (Moscow, Idaho) finished in a tie for third place in the women's pole vault, clearing a height of 3.15 meters (10' 4"). Meanwhile, at the Shotwell Invitational in Tacoma, Sara Blakely (Spokane, Wash.) finished 11th in the women's hammer throw with a top toss of 30.67 meters (100' 7"). On the men's side, Josh Walters (Sacramento, Calif.) finished ninth with a top throw of 42.56 meters (139' 7"), Brandan Haggarty (Missoula, Mont.) finished 12th with a throw of 40.66 meters (133' 5"), and Bo Anderson (Tacoma, Wash.) finished 14th with a throw of 36.17 meters (118' 8").
The Seattle University sprinters and jumpers will continue the team's participation in the Willamette Invitational Saturday, April 2, while the throwers will be competing at the Shotwell Invitational, hosted by the University of Puget Sound at Baker Stadium in Tacoma.